Throughout 2009, Horse Illustrated and HorseChannel.com will be working with the Kentucky Equine Humane Center to bring you information about what goes into running a successful equine rescue facility. Find out more about the Kentucky Equine Humane Center here >>

Rescue in ReviewThroughout 2009, Horse Illustrated has taken you inside the Kentucky Equine Humane Center (KyEHC) in Nicholasville, Ky., for an overview of equine rescue. Hopefully the information you’ve learned has shed some light on the rewards and responsibilities that come with rescuing or adopting a horse.

By Kimberly Abbott, Horse Illustrated, December 2009

Getting AcquaintedHorses are products of their environment and social interactions. They take in everything around them and react accordingly, so first impressions are important. Give your new horse the best possible homecoming experience by slowly acclimating him to his surroundings.

By Kimberly Abbott, Horse Illustrated, November 2009

The Cost of Saving HorsesIf the idea of caring for 50 horses isn’t daunting enough, consider all of the expenses that come with that endeavor. Then imagine relying on an unsteady income of donations, grants and fundraising to get by.

By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, October 2009

Saving HoovesWhen horses arrive at a rescue facility with their hooves in poor condition or a severe hoof ailment, it’s a major cause for concern—as the saying goes, “no foot, no horse.” Depending on the hoof issue, it could affect a horse’s chances of being adopted.

By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, September 2009

Starting OverMany horses have a long road to recovery when they arrive at an equine rescue. Whether they are suffering physically, emotionally or in both ways, their future and quality of life depend on the care they receive.

By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, July 2009

Reporting NeglectAdequate food, water, health care and space are the bare essentials a horse needs to survive. Unfortunately, there are many horses that don’t receive these fundamentals.

By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, June 2009

Finding a Reputable Horse RescueIn the search for a new horse, you dedicate as much time and effort as necessary to be sure the horse you choose is the right fit. If you make the decision to adopt a horse, you need to put the same amount of work into searching for a reputable equine rescue.By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, May 2009

Retraining the Rescue HorseHorse rescues generally receive little to no background information about the equines they take in, which can make the retraining process difficult for the people who adopt these horses.

By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, April 2009

Opt to AdoptIf you’re searching for a horse to call your own, consider the option of adopting before scouring the classified ads or surfing the Internet.

By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, March 2009

Helping HandsCaring for one horse is a large responsibility. Overseeing the well-being of 50 horses can be daunting.

By Kim Abbott, Horse Illustrated, February 2009

Helping Horses in NeedThe current economic downturn and the closure of the United States’ three horse slaughter plants have caused a surge in the number of unwanted horses.

Horse of the Week: BrennaBrenna is an adorable pony who will make a great companion for another horse.By KyEHC, October 30, 2009

Horse of the Week: RamboRambo is a good-looking 15.3 hh Thoroughbred gelding that is ready for a home. Rambo had a short career on the race track and has recently been ridden on the trails.By KyEHC, October 23, 2009

Horse of the Week: Constant VelocityConstant Velocity arrived just last week at KyEHC after his racing career ended with 62 starts and over $94,000 in earnings. In his short week at KyEHC, he has been easy to handle and groom.By KyEHC, September 24, 2009

Horse of the Week: InvestigatorInvestigator a.k.a Gator came to KyEHC after retiring from racing with 33 lifetime starts and over $81,000 in earnings. Gator has a laid back personality and is easy to handle and groom.By KyEHC, September 17, 2009

Kentucky Mansion Celebration: A KyEHC FundraiserIn the summer of 2008 it was decided that the Old Governor’s Mansion, the nation’s oldest official executive residence, needed to be revitalized to serve as the official guest house of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.By KyEHC, September 3, 2009

Horse of the Week: SassinessSassiness is a sweet mare who is quiet under saddle when we’ve ridden her at KyEHC. She would benefit from a structured, consistent riding schedule with an experienced rider.By KyEHC, September 2, 2009

Horse of the Week: Ticket to the Poor HouseTicket’s career on the race track came to an end when she bowed her right front tendon. After three months of re-hab she is now being ridden at KyEHC and will be assessed by a veterinarian.By KyEHC, August 27, 2009

Horse of the Week: Native TellNative Tell came to KyEHC when he was retired from racing because his owner and trainer wanted him to have a second career.By KyEHC, August 20, 2009

KyEHC Benefit Horse ShowThe easiest way to help the KyEHC may also be the most fun. On Saturday, September 12 the KyEHC hosts its annual all-breed charity horse show in Lexington, Ky.By Leslie Potter, August 10, 2009

Horse of the Week: ShadowShadow is a great little gelding that is ready for a new home and a new career. He is easy to handle and groom, gets along great with other geldings and loves attention.By KyEHC, August 7, 2009

Horse of the Week: JosieJosie came to KyEHC after a brief stint at the racing training barn. She never made it to the starting gate because her owner felt racing wasn’t the right career for Josie.By KyEHC, July 31, 2009

Identifying Equine NeglectIdentifying Equine Neglect is a two-hour seminar covering the volunteer role in supporting law enforcement efforts in investigating equine neglect.By KyEHC, July 23, 2009

Horse of the Week: SpurtSpurt came to KyEHC from Churchill Downs. She was retired from racing after she fractured a sesamoid. After a physical exam and radiographs, she received the rehab time and care she needed, after which she was declared sound and able to begin retraining.By KyEHC, July 20, 2009

Horse of the Week: DemiDemi was formerly a pleasure horse. She somehow wrapped her back legs in barbed wire resulting in slight scars but no permanent injuries.By KyEHC, July 6, 2009

A KyEHC Success StoryLast Monday I attended the Woodford County fair to cheer on my friend’s niece and nephew. I couldn’t help but look at a cute paint mare riding in the green cross-rails classes.By Allison Griest, July 2, 2009

Horses of the WeekThese KyEHC horses will be available to view for adoption at the Ky Horse Park’s John Henry Memorial Adoption Fair Saturday, June 27th.By KyEHC, June 25, 2009

Horse of the Week: A.C.A.C. recently retired from racing and is now being ridden consistently at KyEHC. He has a great temperament and is easy to handle and groom.By KyEHC, June 19, 2009

Horse of the Week: Easy GoingEasy Going was bought from an auction house and donated to KyEHC. We do not know his history.By KyEHC, June 15, 2009

It’s so nice to see your shelter as this ia a very needed service. I’m just disappointed that you would advertise horse breeders on the same site when too many are bred without thought to the fact that there just aren’t enough homes for the horses that are out in the world now. I know that the old adage is,”I don’t breed that many so I’m not flooding the market”, but add all those people together and yes, they are.

I just read your article in the magazine and was so happy to see the rescue of the month. I adopted a horse from Days End about 3 years ago and I can’t say enough good things about him. I’ve loved every second spent with him. He has taught me so much and has really helped to build my confidence up. My dad rides him and he’s a beginner. I use to volunteer at Days End and I loved every second of it. I wish I could continue to volunteer there but with two horses it’s very hard! What these rescues do for these horses is amazing and they don’t get nearly enough recognition for it. So thank you for giving them the spotlight they deserve.

I adopted “April”, a mixed breed that was 2 years old, but looked like 1… she had wounds all over her body and a terribly feet. Now, she is bigger and so pretty! You can look up her profile here,to see her pic. She is a lovebly horse! I wish I could help more horses like her, but we don’t have enough space here…

I think the people at KyEHC and other horse rescues are awesome and what they’re doing is great. They really don’t get the help and recognition they deserve.
But…..what makes this a ‘blog’? All it really is is horses of the week and the occasional article about how you can help KyEHC, the services KyEHC provides, etc.
What I think would be really awesome, would be a kind of web-journal (weblog), sort of like the ‘Near Side’ and ‘Life With Horses’ blogs, except about happenings at KyEHC, descriptions of rescues that KyEHC are involved in/undertake, etc.
I understand if this isn’t possible, but it would be lots better than what’s currently here, and I think it would attract more people to the cause. Calling this a ‘blog’ is rather Misleading, IMO.

This is so awesome that these horses all get a second chance! I wish there were more places for such nice horses like these! I would love it if we had more rescues in my area too- I’ve taken in a couple rescues myself, but its hard for individuals like me to be able to keep taking them in and caring for them! Loved the blog!

It is great you are giving thease horses a second chance. My favroits are Suger,A.C.,Demi,Spurt,Legend,Josie,Shadow,Tickets,Sassiness,Constantvelocity,Storm,Phil,Brenna. there so cute i want to have all of them.

My heart breaks when I see horses being abused. I have seen so many people get horses just because they think it is the COOL thing to do. I am happy to say that my family and I have just rescued two horses and trying to work with and get them to realize that we are good people and not going to hurt them. They are both people shy, and after a little over one week of working with them everyday, they are starting to come around and trust me. I am able to catch and release both of them, I tell my kids that it is going to take some time, but when we are able to ride them the reward is going to be priceless.

This center is wonderful!! But don’t forget there are more of us out here helping our beloved horses.Check out Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Center. We are the only adoption center located on the grounds of a race track in New York State.We “give horses a second chance to be winners!!”fingerlakestap.org

I too work in horse rescue. My Blood Rescue project aims to raise the public’s awareness of our need to honor these remarkable animals.
This project has three moving parts: A Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Eric-L-Hansen-the-Blood-Rescue-project/566983426648380?ref=ts&fref=ts
a blogsite http://ericlhansen.net, and an art website http://www.ericlhansen.com/ for the visual images. I am working directly with Queen of Hearts Farm in my local are http://ericlhansen.net/archives/977 to promote horse rescue.
For broad, grassroots exposure, I have a solo museum exhibition of my horse art scheduled for the fall of 2014. The museum curator and I are working to travel the show on a museum circuit around the country. In conjunction with the show, we will screen Werner Herzog’s film “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1664894/ have panel discussions with animal rights advocates and ranchers; and so on.
I would be honored if you would ‘like’ my Facebook page. And with your permission, I would be interested in re-posting some of your material relevant to horse rescue.
But mostly, I just want say again that there are many rescue voices coming from different places, and we’re speaking in unison with a single message! Don’t kill horses; rescue them.
All best!
Eric